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February 23, 2007

California Anti-Spanking Bill Sees Changes

The California Assemblywoman who planned to ask her peers to outlaw the spanking of children under the age of three has decided to modify her proposal because it was too extreme to win enough votes for passage. I would have opposed it before, but it sounds as if it's a good bill now.

I believe in spanking, especially when the child is under the age of 3. At that point, it is the only way you can really get them to understand the pecking order of the family and teach them to control their own behavior. Note here that I'm not talking about angrily beating a child or whaling on them over and over with your hand or some other item. I'm talking about a quick swat on the butt the lets them know in no uncertain terms that you are the boss and their unacceptable behavior will not be allowed to continue. If more parents did this, I firmly believe the world would be a much more pleasant place in which to go out to eat.

The new bill allows spanking, but bars "the use of a stick, rod or belt to hit a child, striking a child with a closed fist, and striking a child under the age of 3 years old on the face or hand." I don't know about the hand part, but the rest of it is A-OK with me. All of the rest of those items are, in my opinion, abusive. Incidentally, I reject the ridiculous idea that a parent's hands should only ever be used for loving touch – as if that is a justification for spanking a little child under the age of 3 with a rubber hose, as my childhood babysitter used to do, or any other implement. Truth be told, such items are meant to inflict fear more than punishment and are simply a sign of increasing desperation and loss of control on the part of the parent. If a parent does their job faithfully and patiently before the child is 3, such measures are simply not needed later on.

Posted by Becky at February 23, 2007 10:05 AM